Rundown: Yes way, Jose

Better late than never, I guess, Jose Lopez. The Mariners infielder
blasted three homers Wednesday night vs. the Blue Jays, proving that he does,
in fact, have a pulse. The long balls were his first since Aug. 15, which ended
a 30-game power outage. And while the fireworks display is surely encouraging,
it doesn’t change the fact that there haven’t been many bigger disappointments
in the game this season than Lopez, who is batting a paltry .237 with 10 long
balls and 56 RBIs one year after posting a .272-25-96 line.

Hanley
Ramirez — Was
sidelined again with an elbow injury. After going 1-for-4
in his return on Tuesday night, Ramirez felt more discomfort in his left elbow
Wednesday. “He said he was feeling worse,” manager Edwin Rodriguez
said. The elbow has bothered Hanley for about six weeks, and he had missed four
straight games before playing on Tuesday. It is unclear when he will be back in
the lineup.

Pedro Alvarez (2-for-5,
2B, HR, 4 RBIs)
— It would be an understatement to say Alvarez needed a night like this, as
the rookie third baseman was just 5-for-36 with two RBIs over the last 10
games. While the highly-touted basher has endured his fair share of struggles,
there’s no doubt he’s shown he can rake at the big league level. He will be a
sneaky mid-to late round pick in mixed leagues next year.

John Bowker (3-for-3, 2B, HR, 2
RBIs, 2 R, BB) — That’s two multi-hit efforts in the last four games for
Bowker, who has struggled in limited duty this season, batting .222 with 12
extra-base hits, 17 RBIs and 15 runs in 57 contests between the Giants and
Pirates.

Danny
Espinosa (2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBIs, 2 R ) — A big night for
Espinosa, who came through with his first multi-hit effort since exploding for
two homers and six RBIs on Sept. 6. In 19 games since his inaugural callup, the
23-year-old infielder is batting .229 with nine extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 11
runs.

Jose
Morales (2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, R, BB) — Getting just his
fourth start of the season, Morales came through with his second multi-hit
effort. The 27-year-old catcher is 6-for-22 with seven RBIs and three runs for
the season. He could be a nice late-season add if Joe Mauer misses more time.

Max
Scherzer (W, 7 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K vs. KC) — A dominating
performance from Scherzer, who held everyone in the Royals lineup not named
Gregor Blanco hitless. Despite a forgettable first two months, the
smoke-throwing right-hander boasts a formidable 3.40 ERA and 8.54 K/9 mark.
Owners can throw Scherzer with confidence when he takes the rock again on Sept.
28 in Cleveland.

Jonathan
Niese (L, 5 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 6 BB, 7 K vs. FLA) – Since posting
a 2.48 ERA for July, Niese is just 2-6 with a 4.83 ERA. He gets the Marlins
again next time out, so tread water cautiously.

Tim
Stauffer (W, 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5
K vs. LAD) —Stauffer continues to get the job done for the Firars. In
26 innings as a starter, the 28-year-old swingman is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA, and
he’s allowed one run or less in four of his five starts. He gets the Cardinals
in St. Louis next time out.

Miguel
Tejada (3-for-4, 2-R HR) — Tejada’s
300th career homer underscored just how productive the shortstop has been since
joining the Padres. The third inning shot was his 15th of the season and his
eighth as a Padre — eclipsing his Baltimore total in 207 fewer at-bats.

Randy
Wells (W, 7 2/3 IP, 6 H, 0 ER,
BB, 6 K vs. SF) — Wells has spun back-to-back gems after going 1-5 with
a 5.98 ERA over eight starts between August 2 and September 8. The second year
right-hander is 2-0 in these last two starts, having allowed just one run,
eleven hits and one walk with eleven strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings of work. The
28-year-old sports a 4.28 ERA and a 142/59 K/BB ratio for the year.

Randy
Wolf (W, 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 7
K vs. CIN) — Wolf has turned his season around in the second half. The
veteran lefty entered the All-Star break on many a waiver wire with a 6-8
record, 4.58 ERA and a 74/58 K/BB ratio. Since, the 34-year-old has gone 7-3
with a 3.80 ERA and a fantastic 61/27 K/BB mark.

Johnny
Cueto (1 1/3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 3
BB, 2 K, HR vs. MIL) — Cueto just didn’t have it as the Brewers hitters
got him for three singles, four doubles and a homer before he was relieved by
Aaron Harang with one out in the second inning. It was the shortest outing of
the season for the 24-year-old flame thrower, who had pitched a minimum of five
innings in all but one of his 28 starts entering the night’s action. The
right-hander will attempt to get back on the beam at home against the Astros on
September 29.

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